This Sultana and Orange Drizzle cake is easy to make and perfect for any occasion. Soak the fruit in fresh orange juice while you make the cake batter. Adding a flavoured icing drizzle to any cake, will turn something that looks plain, into something a bit special. Icing sugar mixed with lemon or orange juice will do just that.
3tablespoonfresh orange juice(approx half a large orange)
150gramsbutter softened
150gramssoft light brown sugar
3medium eggs
½teaspoonVanilla Extract
150gramsSelf-Raising Flour
50gramsground almonds
¼teaspoonSpeculaas spice or Mixed Spice
2tablespoonDemerara sugar (optional for the topping)
Orange Drizzle Topping
5tablespoonicing sugar
1¼teaspoonOrange Juice
Instructions
Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 170 deg Fan assisted. Grease and line the base of a (9") 23 cm loose bottomed cake tin.
Place the Sultanas in a small dish. Add the Zest and Orange Juice. Give everything a good stir and leave to one side, for at least 15 mins. Give the fruit and juice the occasional stir to enable the fruit to soak up as much of the orange juice as it can, while you get on with making the cake batter.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until lighter in colour and a little fluffy. This will take a few minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour in between to help prevent curdling.
Add the remaining flour, ground almonds, mixed spice and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add the Sultanas and any residual orange juice, to the cake batter. Mix until well combined.
Pour the cake batter into the cake tin, levelling off the top. Sprinkle the Demerara Sugar evenly on the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 – 35 mins or until baked. Testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for 10 mins to cool a little before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Orange Drizzle
Gradually add the orange juice to the icing sugar until you have a thick runny consistency. Drizzle the icing over the cake in a zig zag fashion. To make it easier, pour the icing into a piping bag with a fine opening.
Notes
This cake will keep in an air tight container for a few days. You can omit the orange drizzle. The brown sugar topping is just as appealing.